This new work is based on a chance encounter between a mountain lion and my husband at the end of our driveway. Today I’m sharing a bit about my design process and the tools I use in creating a composition. If you want to learn more about my process, stay tuned to future blog posts, and sign up for my Color & Composition class.
Inspiration
This new work is based on a chance encounter between a mountain lion and my husband, Jim. It took place at the end of our driveway. Luckily, Jim was in a vehicle where he could snap a few photos. Here are the ones I chose for the Chance Encounter series.
Editing the Images
I initially decided that I would capture the chance encounter with a series of 4 panels. Photoshop Elements, I cropped and resized the images then used the grayscale and posterize features to create images that I could print on paper and create my patterns.
In the crop and resize phase, I kept 2 goals in mind. First, each panel would increase in width as the lion slowly exposed more of himself before coming into full view. It was important to have an element that was consistent throughout to support the idea that the viewer was looking at the same place with expanding vision. The large rock was that element. I cropped to place it along the left edge of the first 3 photos photo, and extended the right edge as the panels increased. The fourth photo did not include the rock, but I plan to add that feature into panel 4.
Here are a couple of the cropped images:
Using the Golden Ratio for Balance & Consistency
Second, I sought to apply the golden ratio (1:1.618) to create balance and consistency. It was the basis for determining the dimensions of each panel. ALERT: I’m about to take you through my math calculations. I hope you enjoy the process as much as I do. After deciding the series would be 30 inches tall, so I used my golden mean calipers to divide that distance into 2 smaller measures: 11 1/2″ and 18 1/2″. These are the widths panels 1and 2. Then, it was a matter of multiplying 18 1/2 x 1.618 to get 30, the width of panel 3. I repeated the process (30 x 1.618= 48) to get the width of panel 4. In this way, the increasing widths follow a pattern that is pleasing to the eye.
Using the Golden Ratio for Placement of Elements
Another application of the golden ratio was in the placement of elements within each composition. For this explanation, I’m going to convert the golden ratio to a pair of fractions: 3/8 and 5/8. In my photo editing software, when using the crop tool, a grid appears over the image, dividing it into exact thirds vertically and horizontally. It looks like a tic-tac-toe grid, and is a guide for using the Rule of Thirds in creating a composition. This is a simplified vers
ion of the golden ratio. However, I’m a bit of a purist when it comes to the golden ratio, so I visualize the lines a little closer, creating a center section that is slightly narrower than the outer sections. I then crop to try to place key elements along these lines, and at the points of intersection. Here is what it looked like with panel 1. Note the top of the rock, and the eyes of the lion.
The important thing in this phase was to create a series of compositions where each was an extension of the previous. Eventually, I decided that the first 3 panels could hang together and tell the story in a reasonable space. Including the 4th panel, 48 inches wide, would have increased the overall width of the Close Encounter series to 108 inches, plus space between the panels. It was just too much. Really, where would I hope to hang the series so it could be viewed in its entirety? This chance encounter was beginning to feel like a long, drawn out encounter. Besides, the 4th image wasn’t essential to the story as the lion running off was implied in the 3rd panel.
Grayscale
Next, I convert each image to grayscale mode so that I can impose my own color scheme (more on that in a future post). Sometimes, elements of similar value begin to blend together, so I use the pencil tool to draw in important lines that have disappeared. In this case, I needed to outline the mountain lion to keep him separate from the rock and the foliage. Because they were darker values, I used a white line. However, sometimes, a black line is more effective.
Posterize
Finally, I posterize each image. I like to work with 5 values in the key figures, in this case, the mountain lion. With the very light snow background, and the very dark sticks and branches, the lion is largely mid-values. This means that I have to posterize the images at 7-8 values to get 5 values in the lion. When I refer to value levels, 1 is always the lightest value, or white. Levels get progressively darker as the number increases. The number assigned to the darkest value, black changes. For example, If I’m working in 5 values, then 5 is black. However, if I’m working in 8 values, then 8 is black. In the image below, there are 8 values, but the face of the lion appears in values 3-7.
Later, when I’m choosing fabrics for the lion, I’ll be able to expand the range of these “face” values to give the lion more depth and dimension, and enhance him as a focal point. Look for that in a future post.
Color & Composition Course
Also, consider joining my Color & Composition class. This class will run for 6 months with a monthly online meeting where we take an in-depth look at a color scheme, color concept, and a composition concept. Participants are encouraged to go out and use the information in their own work, and bring their progress back to share with the group in the next monthly meeting. to help you in your original design Here is a link for more information:
